Gallery acquires early image of black woman by Scottish artist

One of the earliest known images of a black person by a Scottish artist has been acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland.

The painting, which shows a black woman in an Edinburgh street, is dated to the mid-1780s to early 1790s.

It is unusual in showing a black woman at the centre of a scene, rather than a marginal figure in a group portrait.

It is not known who the woman was, but her dress and the butter churn, suggest she was a servant, possibly a milkmaid.

Alloa-born artist David Allan created drawings of ordinary people going about their daily lives in Edinburgh, including soldiers, coalmen, fishwives, sedan chair porters, firemen and officers of the city guard.

These works, known as Allan's 'Edinburgh Characters', are quite different from this detailed portrait of a specific person.

Christopher Baker, director of European and Scottish art at the National Galleries of Scotland, said: "We are so pleased to bring this remarkable, rare and extraordinary watercolour into Scotland's national collection.

"It is an incredibly striking and special work, one which we believe will be enjoyed by many and, we hope, lead to new research on its background and most importantly the story of the woman depicted."

David Allan was one of the first Scottish artists to paint contemporary life and customs.

With the support of his patrons, Lord and Lady Cathcart of Shaw Park, near Alloa, he travelled to Italy where he drew street scenes.

He took a similar approach when he returned to Scotland, and several of his drawings are already held in The National Galleries of Scotland collection.

Milkmaid with Butter Churn is currently undergoing conservation work but will go on display at a later date.